Geek Trivia

Programming languages can be classified as low level or high level based on the degree of abstraction found in the language. Abstraction, in the context of computing, is a measure of how far removed the programming language in question is from the absolute most basic language a computer can understand: machine code.

Machine code is the direct language sent to the processing unit in a computer and, while there are variations in terms of structure and delivery between different CPU architectures, machine code is delivered to the processor in a form that is impractical for programmers to interact with directly.

While high level (high abstraction) languages vary significantly in how abstract they are, they universally offer a significant degree of removal from machine code. At the highest level, some scripting languages (often used for programming behavior in user-produced game plugins) can even use natural language where a user can write, “if the player jumps twice, then inflict one point of damage”–an input so far removed from machine code that even a non-programmer can read and understand it.